Teen drivers say texting while driving is dangerous but still do it

Close to one-third of young drivers, ages 16 to 21, admitted to texting while driving in the past month, according to Consumer Reports magazine.

The survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, found that almost half of the respondents had talked on a handheld phone while driving in the previous 30 days, the magazine said.

Close to 30 percent said they had texted in that time. And some had operated smart-phone apps (8 percent) or used e-mail or social media (7 percent) while behind the wheel.

But most young drivers say they think texting while driving is very dangerous, the magazine said. Perhaps even more surprising, 63 percent of the survey respondents said talking on a handheld phone while driving was dangerous.

It’s not just an idle concern. Car wrecks are the No. 1 cause of death for teenagers, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, accounting for 35 percent of teen deaths.

One thing that may help stop teenaged drivers from texting behind the wheel is the presence of other teens in the car, according to Consumer Reports.

Almost 50 percent said they were less likely to talk on a handheld cell phone or text when friends were along. One reason may be that many young people are speaking up; almost half said they had asked a driver to stop using a phone in the car because they feared for their safety.

But don’t assume that a car full of teenagers is safer than one with a solo young driver.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety on Tuesday released a study showing that a 16- or 17-year old driver’s fatality risk quadruples when carrying three or more passengers younger than 21, compared with the risk of having no passengers.

This finding might seem to contradict the Consumer Reports study but it’s just another piece of a larger picture, siad Carol Ronis, AAA Foundation spokeswoman.

“There are other issues like roughhousing, loud music and dancing in the car,” she said. “They may not be using their cellphone, but passengers still remain a huge risk.”